Get the greatest value for your group with Legacy
As group leader one of your responsibilities is to find the best quality and value for your travelers. Many factors affect the final cost of your trip. We invite you to use the checklist below when working with us to plan travel for your group.
Seasonality Many destinations have busy travel seasons when rates for hotels, restaurants and tours increase due to higher demand. An example is Washington DC, one of the most popular destinations for group travel in the USA. Spring, when the famous cherry trees at the tidal basin are in bloom, is one of the most popular times to visit. (It also coincides with many high school or college class trips which visit Washington over spring or Easter break each year). Hotels are sold out a year in advance and prices are at their highest. Florida and Las Vegas hotels offer their lowest rates during the hot summer months.
Special Events If your group is visiting a major city for a large event, attracting thousands of visitors, its important to start planning as soon as possible (a year ahead is a good guide line) to ensure you get the best value and price. Your Legacy travel planner has valuable tips to many destinations in the USA, Canada, Britain and Europe.
Hotels The fastest rising cost of travel in the USA today is the rate charged for hotel rooms. Today, most destinations in the US and Canada offer a hotel style and budget for every group. Some questions to ask when deciding on a hotel include:
• How many total rooms does the group require? Will you need more twin rooms (2 beds in one hotel room) or single-double rooms (1 bed in one hotel room)? Since there is often no way to know how many total rooms you’ll need you may want to ask your travel planner for more rooms than you estimate you’ll actually occupy, as long as contracts allow you to reduce the number – without penalty – before departure.
• Do you want to include breakfast in your tour and travel package? Today, many hotels offer continental or extended continental breakfasts with some cooked food in their basic rates. A complete cooked breakfast usually results in an additional charge. Smart travelers learn to eat a good breakfast every day on the road as your travelers may prefer to spend time mid-day seeing the sights rather than standing in line for lunch.
• Is a bar or cocktail lounge important? Many sociable groups like to gather for drinks before or after dinner and it’s very convenient when there’s a bar just off the lobby.
• Luggage handling in and out of hotels cost very little, and is much appreciated by travelers, especially seniors. Luggage tags for checked luggage is part of our service at Legacy and your coach driver will work with you to establish a luggage plan so both of you always know where everyone’s luggage is at all times.
• Ground floor rooms, handicapped accessible bathrooms or adjacent rooms for your entire group are all routine requests for us. Just ask your Legacy travel planner.
Restaurants Good food isn’t a “frill” at Legacy. One of the joys of travel is discovering tasty, interesting new dishes at your destination. Going to a restaurant with 50 travelers is much different than with your family, so rely on our travel planner’s experience in finding and reserving restaurants suited to your group’s taste and budget.
Tours and Attractions Many unique travel experiences not available to individual travelers or small groups, can be arranged for groups of 25 or more, including behind-the-scenes tours with expert local guides. Such experiences may be counted among your traveler’s fondest memories. We can include as many – or few – of these experiences as you want. At Legacy every tour is a “custom tour.”
Entertainment Live entertainment can easily be added to your travel package. Your Legacy travel planner has wide experience in planning and booking all kinds of music and theatre experiences at destinations across the USA, Canada and worldwide. Whether you’re looking for a great country music show in Branson or the biggest musical play of the year in London’s west end, we’ve already been there!
Gratuities The many people who serve your group when traveling rely on your tips as an important component of their total income. Your Legacy travel planner knows who, when, and how much to tip and can easily include prepaid tips in your travel package if you wish. This is much preferred to “passing the hat” at the end of a tour.
Day of the Week If possible consider traveling Sunday to Thursday when charter coach rates are often lower. If you must travel on Fridays or Saturdays – the two busiest days of most weeks – we may be able to offset higher transportation costs with lower costs elsewhere in your package; hotels or restaurant meals are two examples.
Number of Travelers Group travel is a volume sensitive business and often we’re able to offer reduced rates for larger groups. If a charter motor coach is included in your travel plans (a private coach hired just for your group), a minimum of 25 paying passengers is required to keep the fares charged for each passenger at reasonable levels. If your group is larger, say 40 or more travelers, discounts may be negotiated into your package. Ask your Legacy travel planner for details when estimating your group size.
Complimentary Travel One of your rewards for planning and selling a travel package to your group is complimentary travel for yourself. Certain hotels, restaurants, attractions and entertainment venues offer complimentary rooms, seats or tickets for larger groups. These will always be provided for you in Legacy travel packages unless otherwise specified or arranged.
